Is this Brazil?

On this day, the Nishigaoka Soccer Field, where the Omiya match was held, was showing an unusual excitement from before the game. It was the day of the once-a-year event, "Brazil Day," which was held for the third time this year, and the rhythm of the intense and lively samba was echoing, different from the usual "goal end." The "Barbaros," who came to support, is the most famous samba team in Japan, achieving a record-breaking seven consecutive victories at the "Asakusa Samba Carnival." The "real sound" is definitely different, and it has the power to make the listener start dancing without realizing it, providing a different way of enjoying the game. Despite the strong winds that made it difficult to hear the announcements, their music was powerful and enveloped the stadium with its Latin rhythm.

Worst condition

On this morning, affected by the typhoon, there were strong winds so severe that walking was difficult, along with occasional heavy rain showers like squalls. Fortunately, by the time the gates opened, the rain had completely stopped, and the weather turned clear. This was a positive factor for the event, but the rapidly rising temperature turned the field into a steam bath, creating an extremely harsh environment for the players. Additionally, the persistent strong winds showed no sign of weakening and instead intensified. Under these worst conditions, the game started. In the first half, Omiya took the initiative early. They narrowed the space between the forwards and defenders, applied strong pressure in that tight area to regain the ball, and quickly spread play to the flanks. On the right, Ujiie, and on the left, Okamoto, both extremely offensive fullbacks, aggressively joined the attack, attempting to break down the sides through combination plays with the midfielders. Alternatively, they easily passed the ball forward from midfield, with the 185cm tall forward Isoyama and midfielder Mark playing as a two-forward setup, holding up the ball centrally and connecting short passes to finish—creating chances with this simple attack. Isoyama’s play was particularly stable, using his height effectively with headers and chest controls, and his deep ball retention troubled the Tokyo defenders.

On the other hand, Tokyo struggled against Omiya's compact and strong pressing defense, and couldn't establish a base in the midfield or forward positions. Additionally, being downwind, the monotonous long passes from the defenders lacked power and were mostly repelled. With many Brazilians (Brazilians enter for free!) watching, Amaral and Almir, who desperately wanted to score, tried to break through in tight spaces with intricate wall passes. Occasionally, there were moments of beautiful ball movement, but they didn't lead to decisive opportunities. In the end, both teams lacked clear-cut chances, and the first half ended with a dull scoreless draw.

To the rhythm of samba... Push, push Tokyo!

In the second half, Tokyo, standing against the wind, revived. The instruction from Coach Okuma at halftime, "Exploit the space on the right side!", hit the mark perfectly. Omiya’s left side back (Tokyo’s right side), Okamoto, actively joined the attack, leaving a big gap on the right side, but in the first half, it was not effectively exploited. So in the second half, Yukihiko, Amaral, and Almir consciously moved into that space, and from there, Omiya’s defense began to collapse. At the 54th minute, Yukihiko, holding the ball on the right side, dribbled inside and passed to Amaral in the center. Amaral took one touch, turned, and shot! But it narrowly missed to the right. As Omiya began to lose balance, Tokyo relentlessly pressed forward. When Amaral, who was loosely marked up front, was able to keep the ball freely, the exquisite passing play with Almir started to shine. At this point, Tokyo was in full attacking mode! From the right side, Yukihiko, and from the left side, Kaburagi, continuously created chances, and at the 61st minute, Amaral headed a corner kick from the left! It seemed to have gone in, but the opposing goalkeeper deflected it. Then at the 63rd minute, Almir was fouled and fell on the right side, but with a quick restart, the ball went to Yukihiko in the center. Yukihiko, who was freed at the perfect timing, scored a valuable opening goal with a one-touch shot while falling. Tokyo continued to dominate and overwhelmed Omiya. At the 70th minute, Almir impressed again on the right side. Riding on his speed, Almir dribbled and gave a perfect heel pass to defender Umeyama, who joined the attack. Umeyama then crossed to the center, where Amaral awaited and executed a powerful diving header that made you think, "This is the KING OF TOKYO!" However, the ball hit the left goalpost and did not add to the score. Omiya brought in a tall forward in the last 10 minutes to challenge with height, but Komine and Sandro kept a clean sheet. Near the end, Omiya’s coach Pim was sent off in a dramatic incident, but the match ended with Yukihiko’s goal as the final goal, securing a 1-0 shutout victory and earning valuable 3 points.

Furthermore, on this day, Kawasaki F.C. lost to Tosu, allowing Tokyo to reclaim the top spot with a one-point lead.

<Pim Coach Comments>

Today's game, in terms of conditions, Tokyo had worse conditions (= Tokyo's previous match was 5 days ago, while Omiya's was 2 days ago), but there was no problem until they conceded a goal. It is difficult to score against a strong Tokyo defense after being scored against in that way.

<Coach Okuma's Comment>

I want to reflect on not being able to create a solid and stable defensive line like Omiya against the opponent. In that situation, there were no players who could actively pass the ball or receive it. I think the remaining 10 matches will also be tough, so I want to use players who can demonstrate the desire to win in both offense and defense, in other words, players who have mental strength rather than just skill, and I want to strengthen that aspect.